Exploding shell.



To aZLruhon/t llt/.may concern:

.absolutely free UNITEDl lSTATES ALFRED wRATzKE, or RTTENscHEiD, NEAR EssEN-oN-THE-RUHR, GERMANY, AsslGNoR To FRIED.. KRUPP, oF- EssEN-oN-THE-RUHR,

GERMANY.

ExPLoD-ING SHELL.

Application filed January 24,1901. Serial No. 4.4.5119.'

De it known that I', ALFRED WRATZKE, a citizen ofthe German Empire, residin at Rttenscheid, near Essen-on-the-Ruhr, er

many, 149 Essenerstrasse, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Exploding-Shells,` of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvementsin high-explosive shells, and has for its object to render the transportation, handling, and iirin of this class of projectiles om danger.

The shells now in general use are lled with a bursting charge-such as picric acid, `guncotton, dynamite, &c.-which'said' charge is difficult to explode', a violent 'agitation by means'of a separate igniting charge being required for its detonation. The explosion is generally effected by the use of fulminate of mercury; but thelatter being in itself highly explosive is subject to the danger of beingig- Vnited by the concussion in ring the gun,

thereby causing bursting of the shell within the barrel. Shells containing an igniting charge of fulminate of mercury must always be transported and handled with extra great care, while even then accidents are not excluded closed within and do occur. dents, attempts have been made to use adiff ferent igniting charge for the shells. for example, in place of fulminate of mercury a charge of fapid-bu'rning gun powder inla strong but brittle case of caststeel or of cast-iron and surrounded by the bursting charge has been proposed. Firing tests, however, have demonstrated that with" bers arranged successively in such relationthat each succeeding part is ignited by and under the influence ofthe. burning ofthe pre ceding part.

To guard against-such acci- .closed by a screw-plug F,

Thus,

vcording to the adjustment.

The nature'of the invention will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- `Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of a shell embodyingthe invention and provided Awith a firing charge divided into two parts. Fig. 2 is a similar longitudinal section showing the igniting charge divided into three parts..-'-Fig. Ais a modiiied'form of Patented eb..12, 1 907. i

PATENT onirica v ssA `charge C, of picric acid or other materia. i

slightly sensitive to shock, and the cavity is v ,closed by the screw-plug D. This screwplug D has a chamber therein filledl with the' primary igniting charge P of a material that 1s only shghtly sensitive to shock, and which chainber communicates, by means of the channel b, with the-cavity of the projectile.

The outer end of the chamber-that is, the

end toward the combination-fuse -B-is rovided With a name-channel a. A secon ary and llarger 'igniting charge P2, of a vmaterial slightly sen- .'sitive to shock, is placed within a thin brass capsule G, of which the cover facing the ig- 'uiting-charge P yis provided with a amechannel. central cavitvof thebursting charge C. After the shot is iired the fuse B explodes the primaryigniting chargeP either after the expiration of the time'iixedor on impact, ac-

The screw-plug D with its restricted opening b forms a means which firmly confines the primary igniting charge and directs the heat-waves from the said primary charge on the secondary charge This capsule Gis inserted into a P2 sufficiently to detona-te the secondarycharge-that is to say, the plug andits o en ing forms means which concentrates the eat of combustion of the igniting charge onin- 'tensiiies the action of the heatfwaves suffi-- ciently tol detonate the, vsecondary charge .The detonation of the ,secondary igmtlng charge being'induced by an originallywiovlent Iexplosion .of the primary lgmting charge takes place .much more violently loo ' three igniting charges, P P2 P3 each of material but slightly sensitive to shock, instead of two such charges. The charges P and P2 areinclosed within chambers formed within bushings E and E2, screwed into a cylincal bore of the screw-plug D, inserted into.

the mouth of the shell. 'lhe third charge is placed within a capsule H, screwed on the end d of the plug D, and said capsule is placed in the central cavity of the bursting charge C. Communication between the charge P and the fuse B is established by the Haine-channel a, connection between the charge P and the charge ,P2 by the channel b, and communication between the charge P3 by the channel c. The bushing E2 and its opening c cause the secondarycharge P2 to act in the same manner as the plug D, Fig. 1, or the bushing E', Fig. 2.

The shell shown in Fig. 3 diners from that shown in Fig. 2 only by havingthe bushing lil2 drawnor dished, so as to extend into the charge P3. In view of this construction the two charges P2 and P3 are located concentrically with each other and yto the bursting charge, and the dame-channel c of Fig. .2 may be dispensed with, since the thin bushing readily breaks under the pressure of the vsecond igniting charge.

'The mode otaction of the two last-mentioned constructions corresponds to that of the arrangement shown in Fig. l except that the detonation of the third and last ignitingcharge is greater. When the projectile strikes the target, the chargeP is first eX- ploded by the fuse B, whereupon progressively greater detonations take place in the charges P2 and P3 successively, the last being suflicient to cause detonatien of the bursting charge C.

Forinsuring the ositive action of the igniting `charge :in t e several modifications herein shownit is im ortant that-the irst or primary charge shou d be firmly confined, while this is not essential to the last charge. For instance, the last-igniting charge, or the charge located Within the lbursting charge, may be containedin a paper tube. The capsule H (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) is ofno importance for ignition and only serves the purpose of storing the igniting charge and the plug as a unit, which can be readily inserted into the projectile.

Since the materials (gunpowder, ac.) which are4 herein used for4 the igniting charge are not exploded by impact, like ful- .entirely free from danger.

aereas A:minato ol. mercury, transportation, handling, and iring of the shell so constructed are At the same time ya bursting charge may be' employed which requires a very great eX losion for its detonation, for such a great etonating effeet is positively assured bythe successive detonations of progressively-increasing force.

What I claim as new isl. In a high-explosive shell,l the combination with the fuse and the bursting charge slightly sensitive to shock, of a rimary igniting charge of material slight y sensitive to shock, a secondary igniting charge of ma terial slightly sensitive to shock, intermediate the primary igniting charge and the bursting charge, and means concentrating the heat of combustion of the primary igniting charge on the secondary igniting charge,

suiiiciently to cause detonation of said secondary charge.

2. In a high-explosive shell, the combina- ,tion with the fuse' and the bursting charge slightly sensitive to shock, of an' igniting charge of material slightly sensitive to shock, and means concentrating the action of the heat of combustion of the igniting charge, sufficiently to cause detonation of .the bursting charge.

3. In a high-explosive shell, the combination with the fuse and the bursting charge slightlypsensitive to shock, of a rimary igniting charge, of material slight y sensitive to shock, one or more igmting charges of material slightly sensitive to shock, interposed between the said primary igniting charge and the bursting charge; `and means confining and concentrating the action of the heatwaves of the primary igniting charge during burning, sufficiently to cause a detonation of the adjacent igniting charge, to develop successively-increasing violence in the action of each charge on' that which follows and causing detonation of the burstin charge.

4. In a high-explosive she l, the combination with the fuse and the bursting charge slightly sensitive to shock, of an igniting charge, and means firmly confining said igniting 'charge and provided with a restricted o ening adapted to intensify the action of t e heat-waves from said igniting charge suficiently to detonate the burstin charge.

5. In a high-explosive shell, t e combination with the fuse and the bursting charge slightly sensitive to shock, of a primary igniting charge, a secondary i niting charge, and means irnily confining t e primary igniting charge and provided with a restricted opening sullciently directing the heat-waves from the primary charge on the secondary charge to detonate the same and thereby cause a dctonation of the bursting char e.

6. In a high-explosive shell, the com inal-` tion with the fuse and the bursting charge slightly sensitive to shock, of a primary 1gln iting charge, a secondary igntng charge, and means concentrating the action of the heatwaves of the 'primary igniting charge upon the secondary gniting charge sufi 5 ciently to detonate the same and to thereby Witnesses: o

insure detonatio'n of the burstin charge. OSCAR HARTMANII,`

In testimony whereof I have ereunto set j P. LIEBER.

Witnesses.

ALFRED WRATZKE.

my hand in the presence of two subscribing v 

